English Language & Literature

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Are you hearin’ what we’re sayin’?

Beth Rigby has been called up on for the way she speaks. Oliver Kamm, one of her colleagues, was quick to defend her and said that regional accents need to be more apparent in our media. Regional accents are argued to be friendly, relatable and down to earth, so shouldn’t this be the case in our media? Individuals should take pride in the way they speak and the regional accents they have.

Don’t we all pay for the media? Therefore it makes sense that the media reflects us ALL and not just those who attended public schools. If all we heard was the Queen’s English, not that there’s anything wrong with it, I’m sure we would all get just a little bit bored. Where would we be if it wasn’t for listening to Christine Bleakley’s warm Northern Irish accent on our daily television?

Unfortunately, because of the minority of regional accents that we hear in the media, some of us are made to feel ‘excluded’ from society. This can be shown in a study that was out forward by Ives. The pedants of the English language need to take everyone into consideration because that is what makes society unique and shows a true representation of who we really are (and not just robots!).

Regional accents are part of who we are and people like Beth Rigby should feel proud of the accent she has and always will have! It’s utter nonsense taking the time to correct a regional accent. I say find something more useful and better to do with your time.